TOKYO (Reuters) – Japan on Monday expanded the evacuation zone around its crippled nuclear plant because of high levels of accumulated radiation, as a strong aftershock rattled the area one month after a quake and tsunami sparked the worst nuclear crisis since Chernobyl.

A magnitude 6.6 tremor shook buildings in Tokyo and a wide swathe of eastern Japan on Monday evening, knocking out power to 220,000 households and causing a halt to water pumping to cool three damaged reactors at Fukushima.

TOKYO (Reuters) – Japan on Monday expanded the evacuation zone around its crippled nuclear plant because of high levels of accumulated radiation in the area a month after an earthquake and tsunami sparked the worst nuclear crisis since Chernobyl.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano said villages and towns outside the 20 km (12 mile) evacuation zone that have had more accumulated radiation would be evacuated. Children, pregnant women, and hospitalised patients should stay out of some areas 20-30 km from the Fukushima nuclear complex, he added.

TOKYO (Reuters) – Japan said on Monday it may extend some parts of an evacuation zone around its crippled nuclear plant if tests show high radiation outside the area, imposed after an earthquake and tsunami sparked the worst nuclear crisis since Chernobyl.

Japan has steadfastly refused to extend its 20 km (12 mile) evacuation zone, despite international concerns over radiation spreading from the six damaged nuclear reactors in Fukushima which engineers are still struggling to bring under control a month after they were wrecked by the 15-meter tsunami.

TOKYO, April 11 (Reuters) – Japan said on Monday it may
extend some parts of an evacuation zone around its crippled
nuclear plant if tests show high radiation outside the area,
imposed after an earthquake and tsunami sparked the worst
nuclear crisis since Chernobyl.

Japan has steadfastly refused to extend its 20 km (12 mile)
evacuation zone, despite international concerns over radiation
spreading from the six damaged nuclear reactors in Fukushima
which engineers are still struggling to bring under control a
month after they were wrecked by the 15-metre tsunami.

TOKYO (Reuters) – China said on Friday it was concerned at Japan pumping radioactive water into the sea from its crippled nuclear power plant, reflecting growing international unease at the month-long crisis triggered by a massive earthquake and tsunami.

China will “closely” monitor Japan’s actions to regain control of the plant, the foreign ministry said, demanding Tokyo provide swift and accurate information on the crisis which began on March 11 when a magnitude 9 earthquake and tsunami struck.

TOKYO (Reuters) – Japan’s economy is in a “severe condition” with no quick recovery in sight following a triple disaster triggered by the March 11 earthquake that has sent service-sector sentiment plummeting the most on record, the government said on Friday.

While Japan confronts the economic impact of the disaster, it also faces increasing alarm from its neighbors with China expressing concern at the pumping of radioactive water into the sea from a crippled nuclear plant.

TOKYO (Reuters) – Japan said on Friday its economy was in a severe condition following last month’s triple disaster triggered by one of the biggest earthquakes on record, with sentiment in its service sector registering the sharpest fall ever.

Underlining the ferocity of the damage to the economy from the disaster, in which a nuclear power plant was crippled by the giant tsunami following the March 11 quake, the government also asked major companies to cut electricity use in the peak summer months by up to a quarter.

TOKYO, April 8 (Reuters) – Japan said on Friday its economy
was in a severe condition following last month’s triple disaster
triggered by one of the biggest earthquakes on record, with
sentiment in its service sector registering the sharpest fall
ever.

Underlining the ferocity of the damage to the economy from
the disaster, in which a nuclear power plant was crippled by the
giant tsunami following the March 11 quake, the government also
asked major companies to cut electricity use in the peak summer
months by up to a quarter.

TOKYO (Reuters) – A major earthquake shook the northeast of Japan late on Thursday, and a tsunami warning was issued for the coast already devastated by last month’s massive quake and tsunami that crippled a nuclear power plant.

No damage from the quake, measured at magnitude 7.4 by the Japan Meteorological Agency, was detected at the Fukushima Daiichi plant and workers had been evacuated without reports of any injuries, operator Tokyo Electric Power Co (TEPCO) said. TEPCO said it was continuing to inject nitrogen into reactor No.1 after no irregularities were reported.

TOKYO, April 8 (Reuters) – A strong earthquake of magnitude
7.4 shook the northeast of Japan late on Thursday, and a tsunami
warning was issued for the coast already devastated by last
month’s massive quake and the tsunami that crippled a nuclear
power plant.

No damage from Thursday’s quake was detected at the plant
and NHK said workers had been evacuated without reports of any
injuries.